As the winter months roll in, it may be tempting to hunker down until the cold, wet, windy weather passes. But that’s far from the case for us as a managing agent. During winter we’re just as busy, taking care of the places we work with.
Winter brings with it a number of seasonal property management challenges, which mean we need to stay abreast of maintenance requirements. Our goal is to ensure the residential developments we look after, and their communal spaces and amenities, are safe, pleasant and accessible for all - whether it’s winter, spring, summer or autumn.
During winter, for example, that may mean checking lighting to make sure it’s working, especially with the longer nights, or it may involve gritting or clearing drains and gulleys.
It’s also important to note a lot of our work for winter will happen in the run up to the colder months. We work through the remainder of the year to ensure, where needed, projects and tasks are completed when the weather is more likely to be in our favour. For example, some external works or major projects may be necessary to ensure places are safe, accessible and pleasant during the winter; but it may only be appropriate to carry them out during months where conditions are more favourable.
There’s lots to consider and all of it happens as part of our annual operating cycle: that means we plan for routine maintenance, upkeep and servicing throughout the year, taking into account seasonal tasks that need to happen.
Here we outline some of the common areas our teams and contractor partners will be focusing on at different estates during winter. Please keep in mind, though, that every development is different. You may live in an apartment block, for example, where maintenance of stairwells is needed, or in a garden village where green spaces need to be taken care of. Every maintenance schedule is unique to each place we work with.
Some developments have heaters in the common parts of their building, or a form of boiler that serves residents' properties. Where the system is via a communal standalone heater or boiler, the servicing and maintenance will be arranged via us as the managing agent or via an Energy Service Company (also known as an ESCO). It’s an important job: making sure the system is ready for the demands of winter usage.
Where the boiler is standalone, and not part of the communal system, it is the individual property owner’s responsibility to arrange regular servicing and testing to ensure the system is safe and ready for the winter season.
Wet winters, shady areas, wind blowing dirt across paths: they’re all ideal conditions for algae or moss to grow on hard surfaces. Heavy traffic areas, like pathways, external stairs and car parks regularly used by residents and visitors, can become slippery. Where needed, we’ll pay particular attention to these areas.
To prevent slippage and blockages, drains and gulleys also require regular clearance and removal of debris, especially following autumn leaf fall. We also regularly check drain covers are intact and fit properly.
With the darker, winter days it’s essential external and internal areas are well lit and in working order. Where light timers are in place, they need to be updated too, to accommodate for the change in daylight hours. As part of our routine visits to developments we check lighting is working and intact.
With heavy rainfall, winds and icy weather, it's important that gutters are regularly cleared to prevent blockages. This will prevent gutters overflowing or becoming broken, further avoiding damage to the fabrication of the building or to a resident’s property.
Wherever possible regular roof inspections are carried out to monitor the condition of the existing roof. It may, however, not always be possible for every building. Understanding the age, material and impact of a development's environment is essential to plan for medium and long-term inspections and renewals.
Where repairs are required, these are ideally undertaken ahead of the winter season, due to the challenges of arranging repairs once the wetter weather is upon us.
Communal windows and doors are regularly checked to make sure they remain in good working condition during our routine visits.
Doors can stick and draughts can appear at any time of year, but they can be more noticeable during winter. If you do spot a door or window issue, please report it to your property manager – you can do this easily using the Places app.
Winter weather is unpredictable so property management over the next few months has to be adaptable, whilst making sure scheduled works take place where needed. We always aim to work with the changing weather, to make sure spaces and amenities stay functional, safe to use and looking great.
In this article we’ve outlined some of the ways we may do this at your development during winter. But not every estate will need all of the tasks mentioned, and others will require works that are beyond what we’ve included here.
That’s why we have our residents’ app - Places - and our online portal where you can stay up to date with your development. Login to see how your service charge is budgeted for the coming year, and receive updates of routine, emergency and major works. We’ll also use the app and portal as a way of letting you know when we’re visiting sites and to share general information.
